Russian state news agency TASS reported that Witkoff and Kushner “intend to travel to Moscow and Kyiv on September 5-6.”
The men have been key U.S. mediators in the stalled Ukraine peace talks. Witkoff made several trips to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2025 and early 2026 and met with Zelenskyy in the U.S., Germany and France. This will be their first trip to Kyiv.
After Trump returned to office in early 2025, the U.S. launched an intensive push for a Russia-Ukraine peace deal focused on territorial compromises, security guarantees for Ukraine and postwar reconstruction. Washington initially put heavy pressure on Kyiv to accept the proposals, but by early 2026, the talks broke down.
In recent weeks, Washington has renewed its efforts to engage with Moscow, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe visiting the Russian capital in late August. Ratcliffe used the trip to press Russia to reduce its military and economic support to Iran and urge it not to escalate conflict with America’s NATO allies.
